Not long after forward Tom Wilson became an unlikely hero for the Washington Capitals - helping them avert early playoff disaster and win the opening game of their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 with an overtime goal on Thursday - veteran winger Justin Williams happened on him in the hallway outside the locker room at the Verizon Center.
If you're the Leafs in this scenario, there's only one route to go.
"I don't know who was behind me". They got the chance a minute later when Wilson scored the victor.
"I am on Twitter", Wilson deadpanned when asked if he saw the comments.
Braden Holtby was up to the task in goal, stopping 35 of the 37 shots he faced.
The pressure is definitely on the Capitals, but they responded to their poor start like championship teams should. Nicklas Backstrom led the team in points with 86 while Alex Ovechkin and T.J. It maybe came off a little bit of the wrong way, but we went out there and we played. We found out we could skate with them, that their defence give the puck back (when pressured). "I thought that was good for us last night".
The Maple Leafs took an early 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Mitch Marner and Jake Gardiner, and many fans on Twitter were quick to point out Washington's struggles in the postseason the last few years. "When I left, this was the job I wanted", Gallant said Thursday at his introductory news conference. "We had so many opportunities to shoot and ended passing instead of shooting on the net".
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Wilson stole a clearing attempt from Martin Marincin along the wall in the Toronto zone, firing high to beat Frederik Andersen, who was otherwise sharp with 41 saves.
Andersen was sharp at the other end in a third period mostly controlled by Washington.
Leafs goalie Andersen matched Holtby save for save. Tonight it was the Toronto Maple Leafs' turn, losing 3-2 on the road against the Washington Capitals. James Van Riemsdyk passed the puck off the goal and into the slot where Marner beat Brooks Orpik and Lars Eller to it and deposited the puck. An incredulous Babcock couldn't use his coach's challenge fast enough and the goal stood.
"It took me probably a couple hours to get through all the texts", Wilson said of the congratulations he received from family and friends in the Toronto area. The Capitals boast plenty of offense and have the physical presence to control the game. He was a bright spot for the Toronto Maple Leafs throughout the regular season and is an important player against one of the most stacked teams in the National Hockey League, the Washington Capitals. I just think it's the playoffs and our big thing is we've got to get a game here because we've got to keep it tight so they stay tight. Nearly two more minutes than Morgan Rielly played, and Babcock was quick to call it the best game Rielly has played this year.
Babcock said Nikita Zaitsev, who logged 22 minutes per-game as a rookie this season, would be out for Thursday's opener against the Capitals and perhaps longer.
The Twitterverse lit up for Marner as well, but fans also acknowledged what it meant for all nine of the team's rookies hitting playoff ice for the first time. Capitals defenseman John Carlson is expected to be good to go after missing the final four games of the regular season with a lower-body injury. D Taylor Chorney, D Nate Schmidt and C Paul Carey sat for the Capitals.
Williams gave the Capitals the opportunity to bounce back from their rough start with the fourth two-goal game of his playoff career. Among Washington's unrestricted free agents this offseason are Oshie, Williams and Kevin Shattenkirk.
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